--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The highest truth is daiji, translated as…" description: "\"The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in Chinese scriptures. This is the subject of the question the emperor asked Bodhidharma: \"What is t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/shunryu-suzuki-1280_chinese_the-highest-truth-is-daiji-translated-as_2147575.jpg" --- # The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in… ![“The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in Chinese scriptures. This is the subject of the question the emperor asked Bodhidharma: "What is the First Principle?" Bodhidharma said, "I don't know." "I don't know" is the First Principle.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/shunryu-suzuki-1280_chinese_the-highest-truth-is-daiji-translated-as_2147575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/shunryu-suzuki-1280_chinese_the-highest-truth-is-daiji-translated-as_2147575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8e/shunryu-suzuki-1280_chinese_the-highest-truth-is-daiji-translated-as_2147575.jpg) > “The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in Chinese scriptures. This is the subject of the question the emperor asked Bodhidharma: "What is the First Principle?" Bodhidharma said, "I don't know." "I don't know" is the First Principle.” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ultimate truth is unknowable; admitting ignorance is the first principle. **In simple terms:** True wisdom begins with saying “I don’t know.” Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty as a path to insight. Themes spirituality philosophy humility Mood contemplative calm Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - Meditation practice - teaching - personal growth - decision making Key Concepts Zen koan epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What does “I don’t know” reveal about you? - How can uncertainty foster learning? A Different Perspective Not knowing can be unsettling for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Emperor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emperor/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set up a Translation Bureau for Buddhist texts, and the scholar stayed for twenty-three years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha-to-come-and-set-up-a/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [“Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in China, how much merit he had earned by building temples all over the country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/emperor-wu-asked-bodhidharma-the-founder-of-zen-buddhism-in-china-how/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [“Reconnect with the highest truth and ignite the divine sparks in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/reconnect-with-the-highest-truth-and-ignite-the-divine-sparks-in-you/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [After so much austerity I have known that the highest truth is this: He is present in every being! 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